


Fevers and Fights Don’t Mix

by Nerdstablook13



Category: Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: Fever, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:08:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28532670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdstablook13/pseuds/Nerdstablook13
Summary: “Hey Crutch, we missed ya. Wanna join in a game of cards with us?” He asked. Crutchie barely turned around.“Thanks, but not tonight. I’m tired.” Crutchie practically whispered in response. His voice sounded weak and annoyed almost. Jack frowned.Crutchie’s sick and hurt but doesn’t want to talk about it. Jack’s worried about his brother
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It feels like ages since I’ve written anything Crutchie related and I thought it was about time for something new. Happy readings as always!

Jack had been a little worried about Crutchie all day. The kid had seemed kind of out of it in the morning and Jack hadn’t seen him since they parted ways to sell. Jack had hoped Crutchie would have beaten him back to the lodge so he could check in with him but after work, the kid wasn’t there. Jack became more and more worried the later it got. After a few hours Crutchie finally came through the doors of the lodge house. He was quiet with his head down and Jack only noticed him as he passed by to head upstairs. The kid was rubbing his temples and grumbling as he walked by. Jack stood up from the group of boys and ran up to his friend.

“Hey Crutch, we missed ya. Wanna join in a game of cards with us?” He asked. Crutchie barely turned around.

“Thanks, but not tonight. I’m tired.” Crutchie practically whispered in response. His voice sounded weak and annoyed almost. Jack frowned.

“You feelin alright Crutch?”

“Fine.” Crutchie said quickly turning back to the stairs. His tone was cold almost. 

“For sure?” Crutchie nodded.

“I jus’ wanna get to bed.” Jack laughed. 

“Kinda early don’tcha think? You ain’t usually the one to be in bed first.” Crutchie half turned back to glare at his friend. He didn’t let Jack see the left part of his face.

“It’s been a long day alright?” He snapped. Jack was taken aback. Crutchie sighed and turned back to the stairs, rubbing his temples again. “I’m jus’... real tired Jack. I wanna get some sleep, alright?” He said softer this time. Jack nodded.

“Yeah...sure. Night, Crutch.” Jack said. Crutchie turned back and nodded before heading upstairs. Something about Crutchie’s tone didn’t sit well with Jack. He tried to go back and join the other fellas, but after some time, the constant thoughts of what happened to Crutchie and why he was acting the way that he was and if he was hurt or sick was too much for him. He decided to make a quick check, just to see if the kid was alright. He quickly and quietly left the fellas and made his way upstairs. When he reached the top, everything was quiet for a minute. Crutchie was lying down and Jack assumed he was already asleep, but as soon as Jack turned to head back downstairs, he heard quiet, weak coughing. He turned back to Crutchie who was pulling at his covers. His head was buried into his pillow, still concealing the left side of his face. Jack gently reached out to feel the kid’s forehead, trying not to wake him if he was asleep, but Crutchie squirmed before Jack could even touch him. Crutchie glared up at his friend, waving him away.

“Can’t a guy get some sleep here?” Crutchie said coldly. Jack pulled his hand back.

“I...I didn’t mean to wake ya, kid. I’s just wanted to make sure you was okay.” Crutchie closed his eyes and pulled at his sheets again with a grumble.

“Ya didn’t wake me. An’ I already told you’s, I’m fine.”

“Ya don’ seem fine. Ya sure nothin’s wrong?”

“I said I’m fine.” Crutchie snapped again, looking up. “My head hurts bad and I wanna sleep.” He turned around to face away from Jack. “Jus’ leave me alone.” He said quietly. Jack looked to his friend and for the first time of the night he got a good look at the left side of Crutchie’s face. The kid’s eye was swollen with dark purple bruises like he got punched. There was also a bit of dried blood at the corner of his nose and his cheek had a small cut and bruise forming.

“Whoah, what happened here?” Jack asked reaching out for his friend again. Crutchie stayed quiet and buried his head more into the pillow.

“It’s nothin....” he said quietly wiping away the blood.

“Like hell it is, what happened?”

“Drop it Jack, it’s nothin.” Crutchie repeated sounding annoyed again.

“Crutch, I jus’ wanna-“

“Would ya just leave me alone!” Crutchie practically yelled, sitting up to look at Jack. Jack saw a brief moment of anger in the kid’s eyes before he suddenly paled and grabbed his head with a groan. His shoulders dropped and he shivered. Jack quickly sat in front of his friend, grabbing onto his shoulders to keep him from falling forward.

“Whoah hey, are you-“

“I’m...I’m fine, Jack.” Crutchie interrupted softly. “Jus’ got a little dizzy is all...” He let his hand fall to the sheets and sighed. Jack tilted the kid’s chin up to get a better look at his black eye. Crutchie couldn’t have gotten it more than a few hours ago but the bruises were already dark and painful looking. No wonder he had a headache.

“Nice shiner.” Jack said. Crutchie only looked down at his sheets. Jack also felt the kid’s boarder line feverish cheeks and noticed how he hadn’t fully gotten his color back. He certainly did look exhausted.

“I got into a fight. It ain’t as bad as it looks.” Crutchie mumbled breaking the silence. Jack sighed as he looked at him. Suddenly the kid’s attitude was starting to make a lot more sense. He patted Crutchie shoulder and gave a half-hearted smile. 

“I’m gonna get some ice for that eye of yours, alright?” Crutchie only nodded and Jack was off. He made his way to the kitchen where he wrapped some ice into a cloth and thankfully didn’t run into any of the fellas along the way. When he got back upstairs, Crutchie was already lying down again, facing away from the door. Clearly, he wasn’t looking for much help tonight.

Later on when Jack and the other fellas were getting ready for bed themselves, Jack didn’t bother to check on Crutchie again. The kid wanted to be left alone and Jack didn’t feel like making a scene in front of everyone. Maybe Crutchie would be better in the morning, after all, all the fellas got into fights fairly regularly, why was this any different? But before he fell asleep, Jack could have sworn he heard muffled coughing from the bunk below him. Crutchie’s bunk.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning something woke Jack up before sunrise. As he woke up more, he realized what woke him was the same muffled coughing he heard last night. Jack groggily sat up and made his way to the bottom bunk. Crutchie was curled up and clearly shivering, even in the dimly lit room. Jack gently reached out to feel Crutchie’s forehead and felt his fever before quickly pulling his hand away in surprise. The kid was boiling hot leaving Jack to wonder how long he’d been so sick. He knew Crutchie wasn’t looking all that great last night, but now he just looked awful and must have felt worse. After a moment Crutchie stirred from the touch with a quiet whimper and slowly opened his eyes. He seemed unfocused and confused at first as he tried to concentrate just long enough to make out who was in front of him.

“Jack..?” he slurred groggily. “Mornin bell ring already?” Crutchie was trying to rub the sleep from his good eye.

“Nah, not yet.” Jack whispered. Crutchie looked puzzled and frowned.

“Then why’d ya wake me?” He said pulling the sheets up and closing his eyes again.

“You was coughin, I jus’ wanted to check on ya’s.” Crutchie grumbled and waved his friend away.

“How many times I gotta tell you’s I’m fine? Can I go back to sleep now?” He sounded annoyed again, but now there was a strain to his voice. Jack wasn’t quite sure if it was from sickness or because he was still half asleep.

“Crutch ya burnin up, it’s okay if ya ain’t feelin too good.” Jack said softly.

“I’d feel better if you would let me sleep. Piss off, the sun ain’t even up yet.” Crutchie said turning away from Jack. No sooner he curled up, he coughed into his pillow again. “Jus’ go back to bed and worry bout ya self... I’ll be fine by the time the bell rings...” he said sounding weaker with each word. Jack sighed but before heading to bed again he grabbed his blanket off the top bunk and draped it over his shivering friend. Crutchie weakly tugged both blankets higher and curled up but said nothing else. Jack headed back up to his bunk but he couldn’t bring himself to fall back to sleep. Instead he listened for the sound of the occasional cough or sniffle from the boy below. Once he even heard a whimper of pain, most likely because his swollen eye was hurting bad. 

Jack laid there until the sun came up and the morning bell rang. As he climbed down from his bunk, he noticed Crutchie was asleep and unlike before, he looked relaxed and somewhat comfortable. In the daylight, Jack could clearly tell the kid looked feverish and exhausted. Even if the left side of his bruised face was buried in the pillow, his right eye had dark circles and his lip had a small cut in it Jack hadn’t noticed before. His face was also covered in sweat and as hard as the kid tried to hide his face, Jack could still see his look of pain. When Kloppman came to wake all the fellas up and get them out of bed, Jack asked him to skip Crutchie and let him sleep. Kloppman was skeptical at first but after taking one look at the kid, he felt his forehead and knew Crutchie wouldn’t be up for much today. As everyone got ready for the day, Jack sat down on the bed next to Crutchie’s to keep an eye on him. He asked Race to cover him for the day so he could watch him and looking back at him, both knew it was for the best. As the boys left for the day, Jack was left alone with Crutchie.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the final chapter’s here! I have midterms next week so I thought I’d post this before I get too busy. Happy readings!

Late in the morning Jack heard whimpering and looked to Crutchie. The kid looked pained as he squirmed in discomfort before jolting awake and sitting up in a panic. He sat there panting for breath, unaware of anything around him. 

“Crutchie, hey.” Jack said softly coming closer to his friend. Crutchie glanced up at Jack before turning away, hugging himself tightly.

“I’m...I’m fine...” he said quickly. He sounded scared and he was shaking like a leaf. Jack sat down on his bed, never looking away from the kid.

“Everythin alright?” Jack asked, gently putting a hand on Crutchie’s back. The kid flinched at the touch and moved away. 

“Fine.” Crutchie repeated quickly. “Jus’ a nightmare...it’s nothin.” He slowly began looking around the room, piecing together how late it was. “Where’s...damnit what time is it?” He asked looking to Jack and pulled the sheets back. Poor kid looked anxious and frustrated, still riding the high of his nightmare. “I-I didn’t even hear the mornin bell, how could I-“ Crutchie was cut off by a coughing fit that left him speechless. He coughed into a tight fist and let go of the covers. When the coughs subsided Crutchie swayed a little and shakily held himself. The adrenaline was draining fast and he was starting to feel all too tired again. Jack put a hand on Crutchie’s back again and this time the kid relaxed instead of tensing up.

“Hey, take it easy Crutch.” He said softly. “I told the fellas not to wake you’s.” Crutchie looked to Jack with hurt and anger in his eyes.

“Why the hell would ya do that..?” His voice was weak before he coughed again.

“Ya needed the rest. Ya burnin up pretty bad and it don’t look like you’ve gotten a lot of sleep lately.” Crutchie stared back up at Jack before sighing and shaking his head.

“You...you shouldn’t have done that Jack...I...I gotta get to work.” he quietly said letting his head fall in his hand. 

“I think you deserve the day off kid, plus I had the feelin you’s wouldn’t rest any other way.” Crutchie ran his hands through his hair. “How’s ya head feelin?” Crutchie hesitated but figured there was no point in in even trying to lie.

“Poundin...hasn’t stopped...”

“Hang on, I’m gonna grab some ice. And don’t you fall asleep till I get back this time alright?” Crutchie nodded and Jack was off to get ice once again. When he returned, Crutchie was still sitting up, but tightly held his head in his hands again. Jack sat back down and handed the ice over. “Here.” Crutchie took the cloth and pressed it to his eye with a sigh of relief. The cold felt good for both his throbbing eye and fever. He closed his eyes, feeling tired and leaned forward pressing his forehead to Jack’s chest. Jack held the kid close, welcoming Crutchie’s desire for comfort over how distant he’d been the day before.

“Sorry I snapped at you’s yesterday Jack...” Crutchie mumbled in a tired voice. “I wasn’t feelin much like myself...” 

“Don’ sweat it Crutch.” Jack said. “How long ya been this sick?”

“Yesterday mornin...woke up with a fever... didn’t feel too good.” Crutchie rasped. He sounded exhausted but relieved to admit it. “I had a run in with the Delancy’s after work and they got some good hits in...”

“Did ya get any hits yaself?” Crutchie shook his head.

“One or two, maybe, but I was so tired...I don’ ‘member much of it but they took some of my profits.” The kid coughed aggressively into a fist and Jack rubbed his back as he shivered. The action made Crutchie’s head and chest ache more than they already did and left him feeling dizzy. He groaned softly leaning more into Jack. “My head hurts real bad, Jack...” Jack shushed his friend.

“I know, kid.” Crutchie let his arm with the ice fall back down to the bed.

“I shouldn’t have been tryin to push ya away earlier...I know you’s was just tryin to help.” Jack ruffled the kid’s hair. “I’m real glad ya here.”

“Well I’m glad to be here.” Both were quiet for a few minutes until Crutchie broke the silence.

“Thanks for makin me take the day off.” He said softly and chuckled. “Ya right...I wouldn’t have gotten much sleep any other way...”

“I’s jus’ been worried about you. I guess I shoulda given ya a little more space though, huh?” Crutchie shook his head and yawned.

“No...no you was right, I ain’t gotten much sleep lately. I don’t even know if I really slept last night...my head was poundin so bad and I was stuffed up like a pillow. Plus I was so damn cold. Everythin jus’ felt hazy.” He paused to cough again and Jack patted his back gently. “Ain’t been feelin so good the past few nights actually. Not feverish, jus’ kinda under the weather ya know?” Jack nodded. “Hard to sleep when ya feel so lousy...Nightmares don’t help much either.” He muttered sounding only half awake.

“They that bad?” Crutchie shook his head.

“I don’ know what they are half the time. They jus’ keep me awake...”

“Well, you’s can get some sleep now, and I’ll be here if ya need anythin. Race owed me a favor anyhow and it was about time I used it. Besides, I’d rather spend the day with you’s then carryin papes round with headlines that don’t sell. Ain’t that right Crutch?” Jack asked. Crutchie didn’t respond or even react. “Crutchie?” Jack asked softly, looking to the boy leaning against him only to find him peacefully asleep already.


End file.
